San Francisco Weighs PG&E Takeover Amid Soaring Utility Costs
San Francisco residents and business owners are pushing for a public takeover of PG&E following significant power outages and rising utility costs. The utility company faces a class-action lawsuit and intense public scrutiny over its service reliability and pricing.
Why it matters
Reflects the growing tension between private utility management and public demand for affordable, reliable essential services.
Local San Francisco Weighs PG&E Takeover Amid Soaring Utility Costs Concerns over affordability and public safety have reignited San Francisco’s fight for public power. While PG&E has argued that a takeover would increase local electricity rates for decades, some advocates believe it might be the only way out. Jun 15, 2026 Updated 2:43 pm PT Ella Jackson Joe Dabit, owner of Pizza Joint, works in the kitchen at the restaurant in San Francisco's Richmond District on June 8, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) Joe Dabit's cozy, mural-covered restaurant, Pizza Joint, sits next to George Washington High School in San Francisco's Outer Richmond neighborhood. Every afternoon, students line up to buy lunch at the counter and take home half-price slices at the end of the day. He credits them with keeping the business afloat - a task that's gotten harder thanks, in part, to rising electricity costs.
The narrative focuses heavily on the grievances of local business owners and the push for public power, which aligns with progressive utility reform advocacy.
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